This site free to good home

Free, as in $0. As you can tell, I don’t have time to put into it any longer. If I can’t find a home, I’ll archive it for a few years, then it’ll slip under the waves one night while you sleep.

If there are respondents to this (use the Contact page), I reserve the right to pick who gets it under what will surely seem to you completely arbitrary and unfair criteria, but to me will appear as my best attempt at vetting.

I’ll host it for one year and transfer the domain name.

Bands Laguna, Cleemann and Poland live at the Tiger Lounge, April 8, 2010

The Seattle band Laguna will be performing with Series Two Records artists Cleemann (from Denmark) and Poland on Thursday, April 8th at the Tiger Lounge in Georgetown..

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see/hear Cleemann perform here in Seattle.

9pm
21+
$5

Tiger Lounge
412 S. Orcas St.
Seattle, WA 98108

Behold! The MASONIC WEIRD

This might come as a surprise to you, but Auburn is no more…. HOWEVER! Sean, Jesse and Yehuda are still making great heavy music, but just calling it something else, Masonic Weird!

They’re still working in the studio to put out what will be a debut full length record, that will be a self titled (that’s right, we’re changing that name too) LP.

You’ll be hearing new music this summer from Masonic Weird, or even sooner if you’re at any of our shows before then!

P.S. YOU CAN STILL DOWNLOAD FREE MP3s from our new website, MASONICWEIRD.COM!

Another song for freedom…

This is the only other song I’m gonna post. I promise.

Unholy

Spoon, Why The Store Fuss?

I think (know) I’m nitpicking here, but dude, do we really need an 11-field form to fill out to buy $2.97 worth of music?

And that’s only step 1 of three.

Yea it’s Spoon’s first studio tracks since 1997’s outstanding Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga album. Yes, it’s called Got Nuffin. Yes it’s cheap. But that’s the point: for a $30 purchase I’ll go ahead and create an account, input my billing/shipping info, locate that stupid security code on the back of my credit card, confirm my new account via email blah blah blah. But for less than 3 bucks?

I have a better idea. Use PayPal… they have Buy Now buttons. You see them all over the web. You click it, and unless you’re one of the 10 people in Siberia who has no PayPal account, you’re done. Here’s how. Spoon, please tell your devs to make it easy for us.

Nitpick over. Now maybe I’ll complete this thing and get to listinin’.

Live Review: Suffering Fuckheads @ the Seamonster, 4/30

A friend of mine who came to the Seamonster with me last night commented after leaving the show, “I don’t know — I’m just really not that into jazz.”  Something about too many notes, where’s the ideas, the beat, etc: common criticisms and hurdles with the form.  Personally I do not listen to jazz much at home and when I do it will probably Skies of America as oppossed to Miles Davis or Charlie Parker.  Live, though, I usually find jazz refreshing.  Even the Suffering Fuckheads.

The Fuckheads’ core consists of Mike Peterson on drums (the Accussed, Sean) and local Hammond maestro, Ron Weinstein.  (For last night’s show they were joined by a trumpeter and guitarist.)  Despite the intense hyperbole spouted by their MySpace page* the Fuckheads are not nearly all that skronky-blast-beaty-or-avant-gardy, at least in the final sound.  Peterson and Weinstein fly furiously through rhythmic and melodic ideas, using jazz stanards and originals to simply give them some ground to fly.

Peterson is almost a one man show in himself.  Looking like some demented, red-bearded woodsman who beats the skins somewhere between grindcore precision and Elvin Jones swing, it takes awhile to fly throught he sheer wall of his playing to decipher lightspeed rush of various rhythms, shifts, and musical jokes.  Weinstein counters appearing like a enthusiastic teenager in a happy older man’s body, intertwining flying jazz bass-lines and a variety of organ techniques — Herbie Hancock getting out there in Booker T. Jones’ body with Charlie Haden’s soul lost in his right hand.  (Never enough hyperbole, y’know).

Despite being a gloriously gone noise, the intensity/oddness comes mainly from the viciousness of the playing.  As organ and drums wind up insane fury, they never break into intentional skronk, abrasiveness, or atonal wankery.  Their weird schizoid genius is constantly filtered through (here’s a gasp to the post-avant-garde-modernism-whatever crowed) a dominance of their instruments and a desire to play music, and not deconstruct it.  Whenever the trumpet slides in for a solo, chorus or jam, whatever fury was being brewed seems to disspiate.  It’s a sound that let’s you know you’re firmly on ground, somewhere in a George Mitchell song, and not some John Zorn experiment.

The Fuckheads are too freaky to get caught up in the aesthetics of shock and awe.  They play.  They shred.  They take no prisoners.  But they also sound damn good.

The Suffering Fuckheads perform every other Thursday at the Seamonster Lounge (2202 N 45th Street).  Next show is Thursday, 5/14.

*”The Suffering Fuckheads music is a lethal cocktail of skronk and blues, post- bop coupled with turbulent blast-beats, and tenderyet-skewed ballads (Beautiful Love) along side innovative band originals (Bar Slut). The Suffering Fuckheads are not sonic wallpaper. They are not going to behave and play background music. They are not going to play your next shitty dinner party. They are not going to play your wedding, but they might do your divorce.”

KEXP @ SXSW: 15 Bands Live Over 3 Days

KEXP will broadcast live from the studios of ME Television in Austin, TX during the SXSW Music Festival. KEXP DJs, John Richards, Cheryl Waters and Kevin Cole will broadcast fifteen live musical performances by PJ Harvey & John Parish, Andrew Bird, M. Ward, Peter Bjorn and John, Gomez, BLK JKS, Elliott Brood, Akron/Family, First Communion Afterparty and more March 18th-20th, 11am-8pm.

Hollow Earth Radio

HER is a Seattle webcaster that could be described as the exact opposite of Clear Channel.

We acknowledge and celebrate raw talent (i.e. bedroom recordings) and imperfections. We talk to the musicians, reveal the stories behind the artists, and learn about the actual people involved. We highlight human experience with an emphasis on found sound and field recordings within American Culture.

Listen with iTunes or WinAMP
Listen with Windows Media Player
Listen with Real Player

KEXP streaming: track data in iTunes

My life is 2.3% easier: KEXP is now publishing track information with their MP3 streams, which means you can see the song/artist without having to go to go to their playlist page, which I’ve nearly worn out in years of refreshing. (That new Franz Ferdinand song is very good, btw.)

Play KEXP 128kbps stream now and see for yourself. I don’t know if the data shows up in other music clients. If anyone uses a different app to stream music, please let us know in the comments below.

Death Cab Videos Unavailable on Own Site

Straight from a particularly Kafka-esque chapter in the Long, Sad Saga of Music Copyright comes news that Death Cab for Cutie’s own videos are unavailable on their site. Reason? Warner Music’s takedown notice caused YouTube to remove the videos.

The result is that DCfC’s site now has no DCfC videos because it depended on YouTube to host and stream them. Now that they’re gone from YouTube, no vids.

Warner Music has been keeping itself very busy as of late by sending YouTube takedown notices for videos it believes are unauthorized, and its zeal has now caused a bit of embarrassment for one of its own artists. The band Death Cab for Cutie had posted several of its videos–found via YouTube–to its official website, but fans found over the weekend that they couldn’t watch them… due to a copyright claim from Death Cab for Cutie’s own record label, Warner Music. The blooper left the band red-faced (it has since removed the embeds from the site)–and it highlights how crazy the DMCA takedown game has become.

Thanks to Ars for notice of this story.

2009 Changes for Itunes

Apple has recently announced that they have reached a deal with the four major labels, EMI, Sony, Universal, and Warner to remove those annoying anti-copying restrictions ( the inconvenient feature that makes it nearly impossible to move purchased tracks between computers and Ipods, and other digital devices) from their songs.  

Good news: most songs will now be availble for just $.69 cents!

Bad news: The mighty labels now hold pricing rights to all their songs, which means some tunes will be going up to $1.29

Light In The Attic Year End Picks!

Light In The Attic Records just released their collection of 2008 picks. An extremely diverse selection of everything from books and cd’s, to hang-outs and food, LITA has called on the music community for their input and the result is an interesting and eclectic year end wrap up.

I found some sweet recommendations on the indie tip ie. Nick Cave and Delta Spiritas well as some interesting books rec’s, check out the whole list here! Enjoy.

The Godfather of Rocksteady

Alton Ellis (1938-2008) was revolutionized an entire genre of music and was truly a musical great. He will be deeply missed.  For more information on Alton Ellis and his musical career we recommend reading the BBC’s homage to his legacy.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ The Mars Bar?

Would-be stalkers of L.A. fuzz-rock band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club take note: a couple band members are coming to Seattle to see their buddies in Spindrift (members of the Warlocks & Brian Jonestown Massacre) play the Mars Bar on Friday night. They are even rumored to be sitting in on a few songs.  

Stargazing aside, Spindrift are excellent. They are travelling with a band called Go Fever. Also on the bill is Kerry from Das Llamas new band, See Me River.

If that wasn’t enough, the lovely and talented Ms. Momma Casserole will DJ.

Friday, July 11  – Mars Bar 
8:30 p.m. $7. 21+

SPINDRIFT (Warlocks, BJM) (http://www.myspace.com/thewest)
Go Fever (http://www.myspace.com/gofever)
See Me River (Kerry from Das Llamas) (http://www.myspace.com/seemeriver)
DJ Momma Casserole

Overheard at Breakfast (File Under Non Sequitur)

Having coffee before class yesterday, I was doing some reading (last minute last minute!) and some chatty folks sat down at a neighboring table and had a lively conversation. Two highlights to share, then back to finishing my 1040A:

Regarding Radiohead’s latest, In Rainbows: “Radiohead’s new album is so good, other bands should just apologize…. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t at least like Radiohead.”
Turns out this was a paraphrase of another website’s critique/courtesy reacharound of this landmark release.
What is the deal with the ads for the on-sale date for the Radiohead appearance this summer? No show date, just “on sale Saturday 10am”. It just comes across as a little arrogant: “You know you want to come to the show no matter where or when.” Yeah, I am an adoring fan, but that’s a bit much.

“Dude, I heard Linda’s is closing!”
While not a music venue itself, it is a great pre- and post-show watering hole. I called a friend who is a manager for Linda, and have no fear, the official word is that Linda’s is here to stay.

An Idea for Radio Stations?

Ever hear a song on the radio that you want to know more about? While KEXP and KCRW et al have real-time playlists, my old-timey car doesn’t have the internets available on the dashboard like some of those high-falutin’ new automobiles out there. So I was thinking that some genius out there – more of a genius than me – should come up with a way to send a text message to a radio station, and a reply would include the little snippet of information just like the online playlist would provide.
For those that don’t mess around with SMS, Google has such a service for things as varied as airline flight info, translation services, 411, travel directions and a whole lot more. I find some of those services really useful, and would get something out of it if this could be integrated with radio.
Any takers on this little trivial daydream?

Sasquatch Devoured by Canadian Cousin

Hot off of the internets:

Coldplay, Jay-Z, NIN Headline First Pemberton Festival

Billboard.com is reporting that Coldplay, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Jay-Z and Nine Inch Nails will headline the first-ever Pemberton Festival, set for July 25-27 in Pemberton, B.C. (Brace yourself: the three-day ticket is $240CDN and they go on sale Friday, 28 March. – ed.)

The festival is produced by Live Nation and Good Boy Productions. Live Nation Canada CEO Shane Bourbonnais will spearhead LN’s efforts on the event. Good Boy Productions is a joint venture between Coldplay manager Dave Holmes and Depeche Mode manager Jonathan Kessler.

Also on the bill are My Morning Jacket, the Tragically Hip, Interpol, Flaming Lips and Death Cab For Cutie, along with newer acts like Vampire Weekend, MGMT and Sia. The plan is to feature two stages, a dance stage and more than 50 bands.

Pemberton, a two hour drive from Vancouver, is a popular destination area due to its close proximity to Whistler ski resort, site for some competitions for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The event will boast a festival village, camping facilities, an RV Park and shuttle service to and from nearby Whistler, tickets for the Pemberton Festival go on sale through PembertonFestival.com beginning Friday, March 28.

Concert-goers will be able to camp on site or sleep in accommodations ranging from motels to top notch luxury hotels in Whistler.

The confirmed line up as of today (March 13) is:

Coldplay
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Nine Inch Nails
Jay-Z
Flaming Lips
Interpol
Death Cab For Cutie
The Tragically Hip
Serj Tankian
My Morning Jacket
Metric
Sam Roberts Band
Vampire Weekend
Black Mountain
Minus The Bear
Wintersleep
Buck 65
Secret Machines
MGMT
Brazillian Girls
SIA
Fiery Furnaces
Mates of State
The Airborne Toxic Event
Carolina Liar
Grand Ole Party
Monte Negro
Low Vs Diamond
Annie Stela
The Crystal Method
DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist
Junkie XL
David Seaman
Booka Shade
MSTRKRFT
M.A.N.D.Y.
Tommie Sunshine
Chromeo
Deadmau5
3 OH! 3
Kevin Shiu
Timeline
Tony Pantages

I have been to Pemberton, and the idea of this kind of event in a small town with one road in and one road out makes me wince. I imagine a traffic cluster**** on the scale of White River Amphitheater. So I think I will be bringing my bike to get to and from the venue.

My KEXP donation

I done squeaked in my KEXP pledge this morning. I like a lot of other stations, but something just tugged at the corner of my soul. Kinda like those Greenpeace kids in front of Whole Foods… but John and Cheryl were more effective. I didn’t give enough for Riz to come over cook me dinner or for Stevie Zoom to give me a personal tour of the studio, but hey, it’s something.